Adjective "nibbling" definition and examples

(Nibbling may not be an adjective, but it can be used as an adjective, click here to find out.)

Pronunciation

/ˈnɪb(ə)l/

Definitions and examples

verb

Take small bites out of.

no object 'she nibbled at her food'

'We sipped tea and nibbled biscuits at her white lacy table.'

'In the afternoons, one can visit local gardens, play croquet, sit amidst the blooming azaleas, nibble on some Devonshire tea, and adamantly wish for a quick death.'

'I sat nervously nibbling a biscuit and waiting for her response.'

'If you are a nut fan like me pistachios are a great buy as they are low in saturated fat and naturally cholesterol free - great served in fruit salad, added to mixed vegetables, rice pasta or couscous or just on hand to nibble on.'

'She broke a cookie in half and nibbled at the edges.'

'Before you nosh on your order, you get to nibble on thin and crispy poppadums brushed with ghee, made even yummier when used to scoop up diced pickled carrots sprinkled with black sesame.'

'I assumed these were for guests, to nibble on while they waited, but I still picked up a few, from time to time, on my way out.'

'There it's used as a palate cleanser between bites, but I like to nibble on it all the time at home.'

'So after feeding Alex and getting her dressed, we wandered onto the loggia: me, to do my exercises; her, to nibble on her digestif cracker and enjoy the fresh morning air.'

'And there'd better be something to drink - at least something small to nibble on, depending on the hour of the night or morning.'

'MR and Eleanor go into the last week way out in front of the field, Eleanor has been nibbling at MR's lead, can she make a push for the top spot?'

'A woman's right to choose has been nibbled at to where the danger exists that before long, there will be no right left at all.'

'Sectarian strife, banditry, theft and moral corruption have been nibbling at the soul of our country for quite some time now.'

Show cautious interest in a commercial opportunity.

'The irony of English papers nibbling into the Scottish press is that it is happening at a time when Scotland is enjoying the novelty of having its own Parliament.'

'Yes, a few are able to nibble at the important trends of the future but not feed directly enough.'

'If the editor nibbles, write the article to word count specification and email it to whatever address they told you to send it.'

'Venture capitalists may still be interested in Trinity - but they are more likely to swallow it whole than start nibbling at the edges.'

noun

An act or instance of nibbling.

'Meanwhile, just down the river, a white father and son are fishing for food and not getting a nibble.'

'We drifting around for a bit, moving from spot to spot trying to find some poor fish that would be stumped by our dying worms and take a bigger bite that just a nibble.'

'He said anyone who goes through what he did without even getting a nibble from a fish on his line deserves his money back.'

'She was giggling, occasionally giving him a kiss, a nibble.'

'It means drawing a baited line through the water and waiting for a nibble.'

'I skipped starters and had the goulash soup instead, but had a nibble at the other two's plates.'

'We even dived into the waters of the Blue Lagoon Caves, only to be driven out again by the irritating nibbles of water-fleas.'

'The dismantling of misconceptions and hype often starts not with a lacerating bite, but with tiny nibbles that are easy to ignore, laugh at and explain away.'

'The thing about nibbles is that no matter how tiny they are, each takes a bite out of one's credibility.'

'For those of us hopeless optimists for whom every nibble is surely an interested salmon, the fly can seem sterile.'

'I had a nibble when she wasn't looking, which wasn't often.'

'I discovered this when she was about 16 months old, after letting her have a nibble from the corner of a premium plus cracker with peanut butter on it.'

'One nibble of lettuce and you were instantly disqualified.'

'Lander just stared at her openly and played with the third strawberry in between his fingers before taking a nibble of the fruit.'

'Under the broken birdhouse a mouse plays with a nibble of yesterday's bread.'

'That way not only do you set off the alarm if you leave the store without visiting the cashier, but you also can't take any nibbles before you pay up.'

'They wanted an easy way to take a few nibbles at a time, a strategy that lets them maintain their energy levels over the course of a long ride.'

'Or at least I would have spluttered over my cornflakes if I could eat cornflakes, or toast, or even a nibble of a Rich Tea biscuit.'

'I had a nibble of the duck meat, which had a lovely shadow of sweetness - a great combination of ingredients.'

'cheesy nibbles'

'The book launch itself was a study in Wellington writers and readers: equal parts present, they filled up the bookshop until there was no elbow room at all and the staff serving nibbles had to hold the trays high above their heads.'

'Keep your distance from the nibbles, buffet table or food table.'

'And I bet they serve cheesy nibbles and M & S roulade.'

'We were at Jacqui & Ian's house last night and as nibbles they had bought a Sainsburys product called ‘Chips and Dips’.'

'My father, being a senior consultant in a busy hospital, dragged us around the wards to spread good tidings to patients and to munch the array of nibbles in the nurses' rooms.'

'But instead of resorting to the sort of supermarket canapés that are served with inevitable monotony at so many parties, why not opt for home-made nibbles, which also work out far cheaper.'

'We could maybe build a robot like Elliott, but it would have a terrible time, paralysed by indecision and pretty useless at bringing us the right bowl of nibbles when we needed it.'

'Seated at long, wooden tables and benches, with cursory nibbles and an endless supply of dry and medium delights, you'll find this is a great place to meet new best friends - for as long as the tasting lasts at least.'

'There is also a vast range of complimentary nibbles left in each room, such as tablet, shortbread and fruitcake; all home-made and all delicious.'

'The next three floors are a whirl of bedrooms, bathrooms and dressing rooms before we arrive at the drawing room, which has its own kitchen area so that the staff don't have to slog up the stairs with the pre-dinner nibbles.'

A show of interest in a commercial opportunity.

'Marshall has gotten a few nibbles of interest, and some of his pupils have been signed, though most pitching coaches try to undo what he has taught.'

'Aspac officials are encouraged by nibbles from baseball, volleyball and rugby teams, a healthy sign some of the best may be back.'

'We got a lot of interest, a few nibbles, but ultimately no bites.'

'I've had some nibbles on book deals and I'll look into that, too.'

'Please let me know if you have any ideas or job nibbles.'

'But in a statement today the Basingstoke telco said that while it's had a nibble, it's unlikely to amount to much.'

'Of course, waaaayyy back when Mike was a prepster, the best a running QB could do was a nibble from Va. Tech.'

More definitions

1. to bite off small bits.

2. to eat or chew in small bites: Give him a graham cracker to nibble on.

3. to bite, eat, or chew gently and in small amounts (usually followed by at): She was so upset she could only nibble at her food.
verb (used with object), nibbled, nibbling.

4. to bite off small bits of (something).

5. to eat (food) by biting off small pieces.

6. to bite in small bits: He nibbled each morsel with great deliberation.
nou

More examples(as adjective)

"sheeps can be nibbling."

Origin

(nibble)Late 15th century: probably of Low German or Dutch origin; compare with Low German nibbeln ‘gnaw’.

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